Longlisted Poem: “The Bird in My Tongue”
Aishat Oshiokpekhai is a spoken word artist and law student at Olabisi Onabanjo University. She uses poetry as a tool for expression, resistance, and social change. She has been published in the University of Ibadan National Poetry Anthology (2025) and was shortlisted for the Kayode Aderinokun Poetry Prize, 2025. She is a graduate of the Millennium Fellowship, a selected Bridge Fellow (2026), and an alumna of the AMEL Institute. She founded PROJECT EMPOWERHER, a social impact initiative recognized under the Millennium Fellowship, where she engages and empowers young women on issues of rights and equality. She has performed at the Made for More Book Launch, the FIDA OOU International Women’s Day event, and the Law Students’ Society OOU Career Advancement Program.